Pronghorns Fail to Make Comeback

February 10, 2013, Lethbridge, AB – Facing the Huskies in game two of the weekend series, the Pronghorns suited up for their final game of the 2012-2013, Saturday night, and despite a hard fought third period, would fail to mount a comeback, falling 6-2 in regulation.

Derek Hulak, Kenton Dulle, Matthew Delahey, Jordan Peddle, and Andrew Bailey each earned individual markers on the night for Saskatchewan, while Kenton Dulle netted both the first and last goals of the game.

Hayden Rintoul and Ryan Letts scored for Lethbridge.

Dylan Tait started in net for the Pronghorns, turning aside 30 of 36 shots on the night, while Ryan Holfeld, getting the start for the Huskies, managed to stop all but two of the 20 he faced.

The Huskies came out flying in the opening minutes of play, dictating the game’s pace and testing the Lethbridge net-minder early, including a hard shot from Delaney that was re-directed by Tait, out of harm’s way.

Forced to play aggressive defense, the ‘Horns were sacrificing the body, blocking shots from all angles, in order to contain the visiting team’s early offensive push.

A face-off win for the Huskies in ‘Horns territory saw Shayne Neigum unload a hard blast from the point but Tait reached out to quickly cover up the loose rebound.

With less than two minutes remaining in the opening frame, the Huskies netted their first of the game. A flurry of bodies in front of the net made it difficult for Tait to follow the puck. As a result, Dulle earned his seventh of the season.

Hulak added another one, quickly, beating Tait five-hole with just 11.4 left on the clock.

Outshot 13-4 after twenty minutes, the ‘Horns headed into the locker room facing a 2-0 deficit.

It took less than a minute for the Huskies to register their third marker of the night. A power play goal by Delahey, from Kyle Bortis and Brennen Bosch, widened the lead to three.

Rushing into the slot with steam, Horns captain Dan Iwanski tried to get his team on the board with a quick wrister, but was stonewalled by Holfeld, who squared off and denied the third-year forward.

Peddle unloaded a high, hard angle shot, from line-mate Jesse Ross, that found the twine at 4:10, bringing the tally to 4-0 Huskies. Andrew Bailey added a fifth Saskatchewan goal only minutes later.

Rintoul cracked the score-sheet for Lethbridge, going bar-down on Holfeld, putting the ‘Horns on the board at 15:58 of the second period.

As the third period got underway, Lethbridge knew there was work to be done if they wanted to mount a comeback. With bodies battling for position in front of the net, Letts found an opening and capitalized on the power play opportunity, lifting the puck past Holfeld to cut the Huskies lead to only three.

Dulle’s second goal of the night was the nail in the coffin for the Huskies, who, with this win, clinch second position in the conference and a first-round bye in Canada West playoffs, taking place in Saskatoon. The Huskies finish the regular season with a 19-8-1 record.